Kiesza, Electric Brixton

In a heady swirl of deep-house, electro bleeps and vocals just on the right side of manic, Kiesza exploded onto the trans-Atlantic music scene with her breakout single, Hideaway. It was one of the best pop songs 2014 by a country mile. 
Released last spring, this debut peaked at number one and soundtracked the summer of every Radio 1 listener and ipod-less gym-member in the UK. 
The voluminously tressed Canadian singer and dancer is rising up the ranks of female solo artists and will release her first album, Sound of a Woman, on October 21.
But first, that song. From its echoing opening to its undulating central beat, buttressed with the deep chug of bass; Hideaway touches all the musical bases of recent years. What really sets it apart, though, is Kiesza’s effortlessly acrobatic voice that seems to lead, not follow, the music; whether it’s when reaching the high notes or acting as instrument itself, her voice garnishes Hideaway with that essential je ne sais quoi that makes a good pop song great.
Her follow up single Giant In My Heart, it is fair to say, hasn’t quite hit the same heights. Yet there is promise there: a similarly focused, minimalistic beat is married to her voice which arcs over the song as a call to dance.
Kiesza’s future success remains something of a mystery but this Brixton show is worth it alone to hear the summer’s best song direct from this year’s hottest act.